Event Planning Checklist
When planning an event at Mount Mercy, there are several steps you should take to maximize the event’s success. This checklist
covers pre-planning, planning and publicity for events.
Primary Contacts
Clint Dietrich, Director of Institutional Events, 319-363-1323 ext. 1839 or cdietrich@mtmercy.edu
Erin Harville, Assistant Director of Institutional Events, 319-363-1323 ext. 1824 or eharville@mtmercy.edu
Pre-Planning
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Review the university’s master calendar to determine availability of preferred date and location.
Determine the meeting or event purpose/objective.
Consider the size of the group, gender mix, ages of attendees and any special needs.
 Try not to schedule your event at the same time as another event that might involve the same potential audience.
 Try not to schedule campus events on major holidays.
 Is the date(s) firm or flexible?
Determine availability of preferred date
Do not take any additional action until you have requested space for your event and you’ve received a written
confirmation from Event Services.
Event Planning for Main Campus, CRST International Graduate Center, and University House Events
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Mount Mercy University does not knowingly allow events that conflict with the mission of the University and/or Catholic
teaching to be held on campus.
Faculty & Staff can request space online by going to https://events.mtmercy.edu/ems/. Students and outside groups should
send an email to Events.
If your event is open to the public or involves attendees outside the Mount Mercy Community, it is University policy that you
need to receive approval from your Vice President to host the event on campus. Once written (can be an email) approval is
received from your Vice President, then Event Services will review the space request to confirm availability.
Once you’ve received your confirmation from Event Services, you can begin planning your event or meeting.
Prepare a timeline for producing invitations, event promotion, registration and production of meeting materials.
Designate a staff person to accept RSVP’s, create name badges and coordinate any written material.
Create a budget listing all expenses for your meeting or event, such as staff time, marketing expenses, speaker fees,
transportation, accommodations, food and beverage, linens, entertainment, room/set-up fees, etc.
Schedule speaker(s)/performer(s), if required.
Calculate expenses for meeting participants, if applicable. If there is a registration fee for the event typically there will be
some room rental costs when booking your event.
If needed, determine the type and number of guest rooms needed (single, double, suites, rooms accessible for people with
special needs, etc.) and contact a local hotel if needed.
All meeting details (special set-up and tear-down times, event times, anticipated attendance, decorations, entertainment,
centerpieces, special parking arrangements, parking signs, valet, etc.) and AV requirements need to be finalized with Event
Services at least 7 days prior to the event. For large events, details need to be finalized at least 30 days prior to the event.
For all off campus events or campus events held outside, group will need to rent the appropriate equipment (i.e. tables, chairs,
tents, etc) and will be charged to their budget. Please contact Event Services at least one month in advance to receive price
quotes and finalize the arrangements.
For events held outside, make a back-up plan in case of bad weather. If the event needs to be held outside, then indicate a
rain date on the invitation.
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If your event will have K-12 students on campus please connect with the Admissions Office. They would love to connect
with you about the event and help you where they can. Also, any K-12 event put on by someone other than Admissions will
need to have a Mount Mercy point person and they will be responsible for sending out the Media Release Form (found here:
http://www.mtmercy.edu/photography) to the non-MMU contact for the group. These forms should be filled out and brought
to campus the day of the event. They should be collected by the Mount Mercy point person and then passed on to
Admissions.
Catering for your event
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Make arrangements for catering (if needed) with the Aramark Catering Manager at 319-363-1323 ext. 2504 or
bkrebs@mtmercy.edu at least 7 days prior to the event. All catering for events on Mount Mercy property should go through
our Catering Department. No outside food is allowed unless special approval has been given by Aramark.
At events offering food and beverage, allow enough time for guests to eat leisurely, network or socialize with colleagues or
guests, and enjoy all presentations or ceremonies, if there are any involved.
When planning menus with Aramark, allow a 30-40 minutes for breakfast, 45-60 minutes for lunch and 20 minutes per
course for dinner. For refreshment breaks, allow a minimum of 15 minutes for up to 100 people and 30 minutes for over 100
people.
All catering guarantees need to be given to Aramark at least 72 business hours prior to the event. If the guarantee isn’t
received, then Aramark will plan and set for the anticipated attendance and the group will be charged for the anticipated
attendance, unless the onsite attendance is greater than the anticipated attendance.
To view pricing and menu options please go to: http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSMW/MountMercy/Catering/
Publicizing your event
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Define your target audience.
Decide how you will notify them of your event.
As soon as your event date/time is finalized and room availability has been confirmed with Event Services:
 Your event will appear on the online Master Calendar within 24 hours of approval. The online calendar:
 Provides information to campus and community members
 Will feed information to MyCampus for Student events and the Intranet for Faculty and Staff events
Contact the Marketing & Communications Department at 319-363-1323 ext. 6475 if you need assistance developing a public
relations plan for the event and/or to have invitations, posters, fliers, brochures, etc. printed for the event. You can also go to
http://www.mtmercy.edu/virtual-toolbox to submit requests to them as well.
Day of the Event
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Manage your event by understanding who is doing what at the event and who is running the show.
If needed, meet Events for rehearsal/run-through. This is very helpful if your event is using technology.
Post Event
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Events by their very nature generally involve people volunteering time or putting in more time than they are paid for. It’s
important to acknowledge that extra effort – at the very least a thank-you or a card.
Future success of an event is dependant on understanding what went right and what didn’t quite go to plan with your event.
Within 2 weeks of your event, call together a meeting of the event organizers and key participants to get feedback and then
develop some recommendations for future events. At the meeting, start by asking the following questions:
o What did we expect to happen?
o What actually did happen?
o What might have contributed to things happening the way they did?
o What lessons have we learned to take away?
o What plans and expectations do we have for next time?
If the event you just did is one that will occur again in the future you can always look at holding the next year’s date to make
sure it is available.
If you have questions or need assistance in planning your event, please contact Event Services at 319-363-1323 ext. 1839 or 1824.